


Panic at the Stark Expo

by JOBrien42



Series: West Wing Marvels [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Mike Casper is Phil Coulson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-10-05 17:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17329433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JOBrien42/pseuds/JOBrien42
Summary: On April 20, 2010, Tony Stark reopened the Stark Expo.  Set during Iron Man 2.  Josh Lyman and Donna Moss-Lyman are in NYC trying to get Matt Santos reelected.





	1. Chapter 1

Josh Lyman sat in the small Upper West Side deli, eating breakfast with his grumpy older brother. Not that Toby Ziegler was a blood relative, but he was Josh’s brother all the same, and the President’s Chief of Staff needed him.

“So, Ellis, huh?” 

Matthew Ellis, Governor of New York, had been a surprise entry in the Republican primaries, and had managed to win New Hampshire out of nowhere. He’d kept momentum, destroyed the field in the debates, and gained a large advantage in delegate count by winning eight of fourteen states on Super Tuesday. The polls all showed commanding leads in all five states that were voting that day as well.

“I know,” Josh replied. “I was sure it was going to be Sullivan. I know how to beat Sullivan.”

“Not so much with Ellis?” Toby asked.

“Not so much,” Josh admitted. “Not yet, anyway. A moderate, pro-business New York Republican is going to nullify whatever Baker would’ve given us in the Northeast. But I still have six months to change people’s minds.”

“Santos ended two wars in four years. You’d think he’d get more credit for that.”

Josh shrugged and rolled his eyes, “But somehow Iron Man is getting all the President’s publicity, at least for Afghanistan. Sometimes I’d like to take that shiny red suit and shove it… in a recycle bin somewhere.”

Toby said softly, “And yet you’re here in town for the thing?”

“The Stark Expo? And a fundraiser, of course. He’s pulling in the best and the brightest and their rich patrons, so I’m here to pick a few pockets. The President gets in tonight.”

They sat in silence, chewing their bagels and sipping their coffee.

“Donna doing well?”

“Yeah, now that Leo is sleeping through the night. They’re back at the hotel in Queens. You’ll have to come say hello after your classes today. Maybe have dinner?”

“I think I can manage that,” Toby said with an uncharacteristically warm smile. “Speaking of both children and invitations, I’ll be down next month for Huck and Molly’s eighth. You should come.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Josh said. “Will there be a bouncy house?”

“Go! Get out of here!” exclaimed Toby in old brusque tone he’d always used to hide behind. “Just be careful - you know what day this is.”

“Primary day, yeah.”

“It’s also April 20th.”

“Oh, yeah,” Josh nodded in recognition, “I wonder if a legion of stoned voters might throw the exit polls off.”

“It’s probably more a problem for Democrats than Republicans,” Toby noted sagely. “Just be glad you’re running unopposed.”

“Probably the only way Seth Gillette could’ve gotten elected…” Josh mused. “So, we’ll see you later?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll really be there? I can promise Donna?”

Toby shuffled a bit in his seat before meeting his gaze. “Yes. I’ll be there.”

—-

The cab let Josh off at the Crowne Plaza near JFK. He stopped at the desk out of habit, but there were no messages. Almost all campaign information flowed through his Blackberry nowadays. The White House IT Security staff had tried to get him to switch to a Starkphone, but he was refusing on principle. 

He’d cleared through most of the crap on the ride from Manhattan. He’d touched base with Sam on the President’s travel plans, and confirmed the attendance of the biggest whales at that night’s fundraiser. Lou had sent a quick word that the Senate was going to serve Stark with a subpoena that night, and he was hoping to see the man’s face.

He took the elevator and made his way to their suite. He carefully inserted his keycard, waiting for the green light before softly turning the handle. He took a second to put aside the frustrations of the campaign and the job and adopted a smile as he entered the room.

Donna was dozing on the chair, with little Leo laying in her arms. His smile instantly turned genuine as he watched her there, golden hair dangling attractively across her face. He moved as silently as he could over to her, brushed aside a lock of her hair to place a very tender kiss on her forehead.

A slight movement caught his eye. Leo was awake and watching him with wide eyes. He carefully lifted his son into his arms and rocked him gently. “Hey there, little cub,” he whispered, “have you been good for mommy?”

The boy gurgled a bit, bubbles forming on his little mouth. There was another sound, a big smile and a familiar smell wafting up. Josh rolled his eyes and carried the baby over to the bed, where Donna had left the diaper bag. “You saved that one for me, didn’t you?” he accused as he went through the too familiar ritual. 

“Hey,” said Donna into his ear, as she wrapped her arms around his waist as he finished affixing the new diaper. She gave him a light kiss on his neck. “How’d it go with Toby?”

“He’s coming for dinner tonight.”

“Really?” she asked, her voice a mixture of hope and skepticism.

“He promised,” Josh said as he lifted Leo to his shoulder. “That’s not nothing.”

“You think he’ll help?”

Josh pondered that. “I really don’t know. I hope so.”

“Me too,” Donna said. Her hand reached his chin and turned his face towards hers so she could give him a tender kiss. “Thanks for getting the diaper.”

“I’m still several hundred behind,” he remarked. “Just… why’d it have to be beets?”

“Our little cub loves them,” she answered. “And I hear Americans are eating more.”

Josh looked at her with a start. He hadn’t thought of “Sagittarius” in a while. He didn’t remember telling Donna about the excuse he’d given Joey Lucas to get her to come. 

“It was hard then, too,” Donna continued. “We had to fight off the M.S. reveal. A Congressional censure. Everyone was counting us out.”

“Think we can get Ellis to crap all over himself in the debates like Ritchie?”

“I think,” she said, hugging him tight, “that if the President listens to you, you won’t need him to.”

—-

Leo sat in the high chair, refusing to eat the carrots that his mother was offering him. His eyes were locked on the man sitting across from his father.

“I think he remembers me,” Toby said.

“He was eight days old,” Josh reminded him. “He doesn’t remember.”

“That is an accusatory look,” his friend said. “It is a look that accuses me of putting him through a traumatic experience that he has not forgiven me for.”

“It was a bris,” Donna smiled, making another attempt to sneak the carrots past her child’s defenses. “And he doesn’t remember you were the sandek. He just thinks you look funny.”

Toby grumbled, and then turned his attention to his sandwich. “So why did you drag me down to the wastes of Long Island?”

Josh cleared his throat, “We need you to come off the bench.”

“No.”

“Hear me out.”

“No, Josh,” Toby said. “I’m out. I’m happy being out.”

“You’re not happy,” Josh insisted. “You’re never happy. But this way you don’t have to look at the tortured language of graduate students while you’re unhappy with us.”

“Who else?” 

“I’m sorry?” asked Josh.

“Who else are you bringing in?” Toby clarified, taking a sip of his whisky, “You’re getting the old gang back together?”

“You were first on my list,” Josh said, “but I was going to call C.J. next. Then Charlie, Ed and Larry. We’ve got a good crew now, but it’s going to be a rough fight, and I’d rather have my All-Star team behind me.”

“You’ll be fine,” Toby shrugged. “You know how to do this.”

Josh shook his head, “I had Leo last time.”

“You’re enough,” Toby said, his voice soft. “If it can be done, you can do it. You don’t need me, you don’t need C.J.. You don’t need Bruno. You can do this, Josh.”

“Maybe,” Josh said. “But I can’t be the guy I was. I can’t be Leo.” He looked over at Donna, who’d finally gotten Leo to eat a couple spoonfuls. “There are things more important than this.”

Toby followed his eyes, “Yes, there are. But you’re going to give it what you can and that will have to be enough.”

“I guess,” he replied, his eyes not leaving his wife and child. “And if it isn’t?”

“Then you take a week off and start working like hell to get back in four years,” Toby responded. “The world’s changing, Josh. Just one man in a metal suit pretty much single-handedly ended Afghanistan. He says that arc reactor technology is the solution to the energy crisis. Just one genius is rewriting everything, and there are more geniuses out there ready to explode every paradigm we know.”

Donna looked up and spoke, “It seems everything’s evolving, except politics.”

“Yeah,” said Josh, his tone disgruntled. “Anyway, Toby, if you change your mind…”

“I won’t.”

“If you do, you know where to find us.”

“Yeah,” Toby said, getting up. “I do. Thanks for dinner. I’ll see you all in a few weeks for the birthday thing.”

“There better be a bouncy house,” Josh said, moving to embrace him in a brotherly hug.

“Will you forget the bouncy house?” Toby exclaimed, “I’m not going to risk the home owner’s insurance of the mother of my children or the wrath of the mother of yours, or the future of this country by letting you break your neck in an inflatable death trap.” He gave Donna a kiss on the cheek, and little Leo one on the forehead, which elicited a giggle from the child. “Take care of yourselves. All of you.”

“You too.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> while Tony Stark is embarrassing the Senate Armed Services Committee, Pepper and Donna grab lunch and chat.

Donna watched the Armed Services Committee meeting with mixed feelings. Yes, Tony Stark’s exploits had made things more difficult for the White House. Yes, the Republican party was having a field day with the idea that a man in the private sector was being so successful in areas that were usually the responsibility of the Federal Government. She found it frustrating that he’d been most successful in an area that the G.O.P. would never cut funding to, but they were forcing it into their narrative nonetheless.

On the other hand Senator Ronald Stern of Pennsylvania was a creep and an example of the worst his party had to offer. It wasn’t just the usual, tax cuts for multimillionaires, privatizing Social Security, cutting funding for arts and education. He was also one of those men that gave Donna the heebie-jeebies. She would run into him at Congressional events, and usually he’d steer clear when she was on Josh’s arm. There was one time, back when Josh was with Amy Gardner, that the Senator had approached her at a gala. He didn’t get handsy, but he definitely seemed to be sizing her up. He’d chatted with her for a few minutes before Josh had stepped in with a menial task that she was more than delighted to be pulled from the event to do.

The screen showed Tony Stark glibly talking rings around Stern, but Donna’s eyes fixated on the woman with long strawberry blonde hair behind him on the right, surrounded by top brass from all branches of the Armed Services. Virginia “Pepper” Potts. 

She grabbed her phone and fired off a text to a private number she’d had for several years now.

_“Saw you at the hearing. Do you have time for lunch?”_

Pepper was at the back of the hearing room, talking to Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. when her phone buzzed. She thought it was just Tony, sending the jokes that even he didn’t speak in a public hearing, but she was delighted when she the number.

_“Love to. Is Ben’s Chili Bowl OK?”_ she texted back.

_“Sure,”_ came the reply, _“H Street location at 10:30?”_

“Donna Moss-Lyman,” Agent Coulson noted, reading her screen, upside down, at glance.

“You know her number?” she asked as she texted agreement to the time.

“At the risk of piercing the illusion of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s omniscience, I’ve had the pleasure. I almost flirted with her once.”

“Oh?” Pepper asked, her curiosity piqued. “I’m meeting her for lunch. Tony is feeling the need for hot dogs. You should come.”

“Oh, I couldn’t,” Coulson responded, “but you should try Ben’s Chili Bowl.”

“I’ve heard,” she responded, “I’ll tell Donna you said hi.”

“Tell her,” Coulson said, “tell her that Agent Casper sends his regards.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Pepper assured him. 

—-

Donna was only five minutes late, and felt pretty good about that. She went to the counter and ordered a salad bowl. Pepper already had grabbed a booth, and had a vegetarian chili bowl in front of her. 

“I’m glad you could make it,” Donna said as she sat down, “You’re looking well.”

Pepper smiled, “It has been a while, hasn’t it? You look good too. It seems like marriage and motherhood agree with you.”

Donna smiled back and brushed a lock of hair away. “Thank you again, for the wonderful sound system. I mean, it was easy enough for Josh to use… ”

“From what you’ve told me, I figured something voice activated might be more his speed.”

“He loved it. He thought it came off the set of Star Trek,” Donna said, her voice tinged with mirth. She pulled up some pictures on her phone to show off the nursery, with little Leo in his crib and the Stark music system set up nearby. “Of course, he had it checked out by the FBI and won’t let me connect it to the wi-fi. But Leo gets serenaded by whatever Yo-Yo Ma concerto I ask for every night, and he sleeps like a dream.”

Pepper nodded. “I think, after today’s demonstration, Josh may realize Tony doesn’t need a trojan horse in the house to access…”

“Oh, I’m sure that’ll ramp his paranoia right through the roof,” Donna said. “But Mr. Stark did do really well on the Hill today.”

It was Pepper’s turn to smile, “He has a certain flair about him, doesn’t he? Listen, Donna, I know Tony hasn’t made things easy for you all in the White House.”

“We understand,” Donna said. “We aren’t actually anti-business, you know, so long as you pay your taxes. Besides, we hate Senator Stern even more.”

“I can see why,” Pepper said. “I don’t envy you your enemies.”

“Nor I yours. In politics, we can spot ours because they usually have an R next to their name on C-SPAN. I can’t imagine if Josh were flying around the world-” Donna paused, seeing Pepper’s pained expression. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean - how are things with Tony?”

Pepper responded with a shrug, “I honestly don’t know. He can actually be very sweet at times when he gets past his own ego. He said… he said once, before he told the world about - well, that - that if he were a superhero he’d have this conflicted girlfriend who knew his secret and would be crazy about him…”

“And is she?”

“She’s not his girlfriend,” Pepper sighed. “It’s complicated and every time I think he wants more he does something so indescribably Tony and I want to throw things at him. And, to be honest, he’s been acting… I don’t know… more erratically Tony lately.”

Donna nodded, “I can honestly relate in a lot of ways.”

“How did you and Josh ever get past him being…”

“Being Josh?” Donna said with a laugh, “It wasn’t easy. When you and I first met, we were at our lowest ebb. He’d pushed me away and I left to join the Russell campaign.”

“I remember,” Pepper said, “I remember wondering if you were immune to Tony’s charms, how the hell you ended up working for someone like Bob Russell.”

“It was necessary,” Donna replied, her voice tinged with regret. “I needed to find out who I was without Josh. To prove I was strong enough to stand on my own. I still wish it hadn’t been for Bingo Bob.”

“Remind me to tell you about Aldritch Killian at some point,” Pepper said with a shudder. “So you’re suggesting that I leave Tony for a different job? I don’t mean to brag, but he couldn’t live without me. Stark Industries would collapse, and probably bring the tech sector down with it.”

“Well, don’t do that!” Donna giggled, “At least not until after election day, at least. But maybe something will open up to at least give you some space?”

“We’ll see,” Pepper said. She looked closely at Donna. “You look a little disappointed.”

“Oh?” Donna laughed sheepishly, “It’s not that. It’s just that when we come here, Josh usually gets the fries, and then I can steal some.”

“I can go order some - I have a large to go order to get for Tony and Happy anyway.”

“It wouldn’t be the same,” Donna admitted. “Anyway, I should be going. I want to stop in and check on Leo before getting back to work. It’s been really great catching up with you.”

“You too,” Pepper said. “Oh, before I forget, I was asked to tell you ‘Agent Casper’ sends his regards.”

Donna looked at her closely, remembering that time Casper had answered Pepper's cell phone, after Tony had announced that he was Iron Man. “Really? If you see him again, tell him Josh and I said hi and give him our best.”

“I’ll do that. Hopefully I’ll see you when you’re next out near L.A..”

The two had risen from their booth, and exchanged a quick hug before both their cell phones started going off. They laughed. 

“I’ll make a special point of it,” Donna said before answering her phone. “Hi… slow down, Josh… Margaret has it…. Yes, I’m on my way back now… no, I just had lunch with a friend…” She smiled and rolled her eyes for Pepper’s benefit.

“Yes Tony… I’m at Ben’s right now… I’m in line… Yes, I’ll remember to get… I know, Tony. Tell Happy to meet me here… H Street. He’ll know…” Pepper got into the line to order and took a good look at her friend - happily married to a brilliant, arrogant but ultimately loving man who was completely devoted to her, and with a beautiful son as well - and wondered if that was what she wanted, and if it could ever happen in her current situation. 

—-

Two weeks later, Donna and Josh were at the kitchen table, trying to get their son to eat his breakfast. The two televisions were both on, and the crawl at the bottom of CNN was running. Josh was giving a running commentary, to Leo’s great amusement and Donna’s frustration, as every time his voice pitched higher his son would giggle and stare and completely ignore the spoonful of peaches. 

Something caught her eye as she was rolling them in frustration. “Virginia ‘Pepper’ Potts named CEO of Stark Industries.”

“Woohoo!” she exclaimed, immediately capturing Leo’s attention.

“What?” Josh asked.

“Why didn’t you ever name me Deputy Chief of Staff?”

“I, uh, offered it to Sam,” he said, concern in his voice. “Have I done something wrong?”

“No, I meant when you had the job.”

“It wasn’t mine to give,” he replied, “but you probably could have made a solid case to President Bartlet. There were many, many times he preferred you to me, anyway. What’s this about? Are you gunning for my job? ‘Cause, y’know, if you want it…”

“No, I’m just…,” Donna was a little flustered, realizing she’d unintentionally set off Josh’s guilt complex. “It’s just that Pepper Potts was just named CEO of Stark Industries.”

“Wow,” Josh said, “That’s… unexpected. Do we have time to sell our stock?” He caught Donna’s warning glare. “I’m kidding! A little stability wouldn’t hurt them. From what you’ve told me she’s smart and she’s been keeping Stark together for years. Plus, it’ll make Bill O’Reilly go apoplectic.”

“Good save,” Donna said, dryly.

“Will she be taking over as Iron Man too? I only ask because ‘Iron Woman’ doesn’t really roll off the tongue. I suppose ‘Iron Maiden’ could work, and it’s more keeping in theme. Probably not very accurate, tho’.”

“Josh!”

“You’re right, I have no way of knowing the status of her mai-,” he began, dodging the newspaper she threw at him to Leo’s delight. “OK, OK, I surrender! Send Pepper my congratulations with yours. Tell her the Santos administration is looking forward to her leadership, and if Tony is looking for a new job, maybe we can make Defense Secretary happen.”

“Thank you,” Donna said. “And maybe this is what she needed to for the rest to fall into place.”

Josh, who had bent over to pick up the scattered sections of the Washington Post, looked at her quizzically. 

“Never mind, dear. Just a Sisterhood thing.”

Josh shrugged and grabbed a mug of coffee to take with him. He leaned over to give kisses, her on the cheek and their son one on his forehead, “OK. I love you two so much.”

“Love you, too,” Donna responded warmly. She looked at him, and Leo, and felt so indescribably lucky. She fervently wished for the same for Pepper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the idea comes from a deleted scene from Iron Man 2 about Tony wanting to go to Ben's Chili Bowl. I am not a huge fan of Iron Man, but the Pepper/Tony dynamic is just Josh/Donna on steroids.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing with Tony Stark's disaster causes Josh Lyman to do some soul-searching

”Henry Blanco, baby!” Josh said to his Deputy Chief of Staff. “Bottom of the eleventh, takes the second pitch he sees and puts it deep to left field! Game over, the Citi Field crowd goes home happy!” He mimicked the swing and the toss of the imaginary bat with the hand not holding onto a half an egg sandwich.

Sam sat in his chair, eating his own breakfast and thinking of how different things were from the old days. The idea of Leo McGarry coming in to his deputy’s office and giving play by play of a Mets game was unthinkable. But it was good to see a flash of the exuberance of the old Josh, before the next crisis cropped up and forced him to put his game face on.

As if on cue, Margaret appeared at the door, “I’m sorry, Josh, but you’re going to have to cut short your fantasy baseball career. They need you in the Sit Room.”

“That isn’t what fant- never mind,” Josh objected, before turning to Sam. “Coming?”

One of the first things Josh had done as Chief of Staff was ask to have his Deputy given higher clearance than he’d had in the position, and have him join him in the Situation Room at all but the most sensitive times. It was a measure of his trust in Sam, and a way of preparing his friend for wherever his career might take him, as well as a necessary backup that gave Josh the opportunity to go home and be a father from time to time.

The two moved quickly, down the stairs and to the entrance, and Josh’s handprint opened the door. The Joint Chiefs had already assembled, and the screens were showing footage from the Monte Carlo Grand Prix.

“What’s happening?” Josh asked.

“Someone just attacked Stark at the race,” answered General O’Donnell. “Using similar arc reactor technology.”

“Son of a bitch,” Josh swore, his fist slamming into the table. “He said we had five years.”

Sam watched the footage closely. “Should we alert the President?”

Josh looked over at him. “He and the family are still at Mass, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“The situation’s stable? Iron Man victorious, villain apprehended?” Josh asked.

“So it would appear, yes.”

“Then we can brief him after the service is done,” he concluded. “Get the details from Monaco Law Enforcement, INTERPOL, SHIELD. I want to know who this guy is, how he got this tech. I want to know his mother’s maiden name and how he takes his omelets.”

* * *

Two hours later in the Oval Office, Josh and Sam faced their boss.

“Dammit, he leaves he country and still manages to screw us over here!” The President was still dressed from church, but had removed his suit coat and loosened his tie. “He wasn’t seriously hurt, right?”

“No,” Josh said. “But it doesn’t matter, really. He was smacked around in front of millions of viewers. There’s blood in the water. We’re going to see the usual suspects making noise. SHIELD intel is that Russian, Chinese, and North Korea agents have already been discovered trying to access Stark Industries - caught, thankfully, but that’s just what we know about. We can expect extremist groups - like Al Qaeda, Ten Rings, the Bahji, Affronte - to all take their shots, thinking Stark won’t be able to respond. It could get bad.”

“It should be said,” Sam pointed out brightly, “that Mr. Stark was in an emergency, back up suit, and not using any of his more powerful options.”

“He’s erratic and unreliable,” Josh said. “He’s outside of the military command structure.”

“I agree,” said President Santos. “I’m going to call Colonel Rhodes. I want legal working on the national emergency conditions for asset seizure.”

Sam spoke, “I’ll give it to Ainsley.”

“She won’t like it,” Santos pointed out.

“It’s National Defense, and she does work for you, sir.”

“I hate to say this,” Josh said, “but I think Pepper Potts is going to give us more fight than we’re prepared for. Stark Industries is going to be able to outspend us. I like Ainsley, but this is the fourth amendment, and Potts is going to be able to get the ACLU all-star team. Starting with Lionel Tribbey, I imagine.”

Sam shuddered. “Tribbey does intimidate her.”

“Tribbey intimidates half the General Staff. But Ainsley'll do her job,” Santos said, “And we’ll see what we can do to help her out. Is there a stick or carrot we can offer Ms. Potts?”

“Well,” Sam began.

“No,” Josh rebuffed him immediately.

“It can’t hurt to ask,” his friend persisted.

“I said no.”

“What’s he talking about, Josh?” the President asked, an edge to his voice. “If you know of some leverage we can use… we need to have all options on the table.”

Josh turned to him, his face set. 

“Sam?”

Sam looked at Josh apologetically, “Donna is a close friend of Pepper Potts.”

“Not close enough to convince her to give up the multi-billion dollar centerpiece tech of her corporation,” Josh snarled, not able to look at him.

“Donna can be very persuasive,” Santos said. “We can’t be held hostage by Stark anymore. You said it yourself, the man’s erratic, and his behavior recently shows it’s only getting worse. I’ve gotten reports that he donated away an entire art collection to the Boy Scouts. He just made his personal assistant the CEO of his corporation, and the man just got behind the wheel of a Formula One race car seemingly on a whim. Even if this new guy hadn’t shown up with his lightning whips, we would still be asking ourselves if Tony Stark is competent to bear the burdens he’s placed himself under.”

“Mr. President,” Josh began, “I’ve been asked to intervene with a friend before in the name of national security, and it sucked. Please do not ask me to put that pressure on my wife.”

His friendship with Billy Molina had been severely strained after the incident at Vieques. And it wasn’t just that. Donna had few friends outside the Beltway, and the way his wife spoke of Pepper - it was like the two had some instinctive bond and he didn’t want that to suffer.

“I’m sorry, Josh. This is important.”

Josh’s face was impassive. “Will that be all, sir?”

The President locked eyes with his Chief of Staff for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow after Senior Staff.”

“Thank you, Mr. President,” Josh said, exiting the Oval Office quickly. 

He heard Sam call after him as he made his way to his desk to pick up his backpack.

“Listen, Josh…”

“Forget it, Sam. You did your job, you counseled the President.”

Sam stood there awkwardly in the doorway. “I just, I mean, I’m sorry. The world’s getting weirder, and we’ve been through two wars and God knows what the next one will look like.”

“You’ve changed a lot. You know that, right?” Josh said, tossing a few briefing memos in the pack before bringing it to his shoulder. “I just don’t see a good outcome here. If Donna convinces her friend to let us have the suit - a huge if - that’s the end of Pepper’s career - the shareholders would vote her out in an emergency session two minutes after we took control. Without Stark, it’s going to take us weeks or months to reverse engineer the thing, assuming he doesn’t have safeguards on it that get our people killed and render it useless.

“And that’s the best scenario. It’s much more likely from everything I’ve heard that we get creamed in court, and then Donna’s lost a close friend for nothing.”

“I know you’re upset,” Sam said, “but the President has made his call.”

“The President needs a win, Sam. You know how the polls are looking. We’ve been walking this tightrope with Stark for over a year. The President wants the suit because it will look good to the voters if it’s under the control of the U.S. Military.”

“It’s not just that,” Sam countered. “He served in the Air Force. I’m sure having the Iron Man technology under a proper command structure appeals to him. But, yes, we do need a win.”

Josh massaged the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Listen, if this scheme somehow works, I need you to get with Lou on the communications side. Stress the patriotism of Stark Industries, throw in phrases like ‘justly compensated’, make it look like we aren’t being the bastards we are.”

“Okay,” his friend said. “Are we good?”

“We’re fine, Sam, I just want to get home.”

Josh watched his deputy depart and then headed out the door, stopping to make sure Margaret was also on her way. He made it to the car, where an agent waited to drive him home. He pulled out his cell and dialed home.

It went straight to voice mail. “Hey, I’m on my way now. I’m guessing you’ve got your hands full, or you’re resting with Leo. I’ll be home soon, but text me if you need anything.” He swallowed, then continued. “I… I just love you two so much.”

He hung up, and then stared at his phone, silently wishing for some sort of contact. He’d see his wife and son in just a few minutes, but he found himself yearning now. They were the things that made sense in a world that no longer did. 

The car pulled up in front of the Georgetown brownstone. “Thanks, Bill,” Josh said as he exited. Another agent, Karen, was waiting to walk him in. He could have argued that with the end of the wars, this level of detail was no longer necessary, but he wouldn’t pass up a chance to protect his family, and he could deal with a little inconvenience for that sense of security. Sam was right; the world was getting weirder, and more dangerous.

He unlocked the door, and was immediately met by Donna, dressed smartly in a grey blazer over a maroon top. 

“Oh good,” she said. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Leo’s been cranky all day, and I just got him down five minutes ago. Let him sleep as long as you can, okay? I should be back in about two hours.”

Josh stood there, stunned. “Two hours?”

She bent down to pick up her briefcase. “Yes. I have a dinner meeting, remember? With Andy, Amy, Senator Rafferty and Congresswoman Cahn?”

“Oh,” he said, as a vague recollection filtered through. “Yeah. Sorry, have a lot on my mind today. Don’t let-“

“Don’t let Amy Gardner push too hard on Helen’s agenda. I know. She’s not as bad as she was before she spent a couple years with us. She’s gotten a little more perspective.” Donna gave him a quick hug, “I saw the news from Monte Carlo - if you need to talk later, I understand, but right now I’m late. There’s leftovers in the fridge. Love you.”

And she rushed out, leaving him standing agape at the door, his own declaration of affection trailing after her.

He paced a bit, looked in on his son, tried to organize his thoughts. He plopped down into the recliner, turning on CNN while he tried to go over some of the briefing memos, but he couldn’t focus on anything. He through the leftovers - some Pad Thai - into the microwave and let the StarkTech figure out the cooking time. He got a beer, and went back to the living room to eat.

He switched over to ESPN, but even they were covering the events at the Grand Prix, so he turned off the set. He listened to the strains of music coming over the baby monitor for a while, waiting for his little cub to stir, so he could pick him up and hold him and try to convince himself things weren’t slipping out of his grasp.

He turned over the information the President had said to him about Stark in his mind - making Pepper CEO, racing at Monte Carlo, donating an art collection - and came to a disturbing conclusion. He pulled out his laptop, and launched a hidden encryption application. A window opened, just a blank screen. He typed out his question.

“Is Tony Stark dying?”

The message stayed for three seconds, and then scrambled and faded. He closed the application and turned off his computer. This was the first time using this and he wasn’t sure how it would work.

Ten minutes later, his cell phone rang, a restricted number.

“This is Josh Lyman,” he answered.

“I can’t answer your question,” came the voice of Agent Coulson. “We’re aware of his actions and we’re taking steps.”

“Thanks,” Josh said, but the line had already gone dead. He swore silently to himself.

It was about ninety minutes after that when a soft cry interrupted the soft strains of Bach coming over the monitor by his chair. He leapt to his feet, and nearly fell over as his left leg had fallen asleep. He limped his way to the bedroom and greeted his son. He changed the wet diaper, and struggled to get the squirming boy into a little Georgetown University one piece. 

“Okay, little cub,” he said, carrying his child back to the recliner, “you wanna help daddy get some work done?” 

For the next half hour, he held Leo in his arms and read out loud about a new farm subsidy calculation from the OMB. He decided that the next generation was very much in favor of alfalfa, and not as much on soybeans, at least based on an impromptu giggle metric he came up with. 

“I know corn isn’t winning you over, but I’m afraid that’s one lobby immune to your little pout there, kiddo.” Leo blew little bubbles at his father. “What about po-TAY-toes?” He was rewarded with a small titter. “Sweet potatoes?” This earned a solid laugh. 

“Please tell me you aren’t going to have our son dictate the direction of the Farm Bill,” came Donna’s voice from the doorway. “America’s not ready to eat that many beets.”

“Hey,” Josh said, looking over at her. “How was dinner?”

“Long. We focused on Healthcare. Ricki Rafferty really wants to push Single Payer. Andy wants to make sure we get more women graduating medical school. Deb Cahn was looking for better mental health parity guarantees. A lot of good ideas.”

“A lot of expensive ideas,” Josh noted, “but ones that we may be able to tag Ellis with. He’s neck deep in private insurance money.”

"I got your voicemail," Donna said softly, as she looked at her husband sitting there with Leo on his lap. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” he replied, too quickly. “No. I’ve been asked… ordered… you understand, you don’t work for the President, you don’t have to do…”

She hung up her blazer in the closet in the hall, and then crossed over to him. “What’s the matter, Josh? You can tell me.”

He hung his head, causing Leo to look up at him, seemingly sensing his discomfort. Taking a deep breath, he spoke, “The President wants you to convince Pepper Potts to surrender the Iron Man suit to the government.”

Donna reached out with one hand and lifted his chin. “And you’re worried that it will ruin my friendship with Pepper? That’s very sweet.” She leaned down and gave him a tender kiss. “You forget, we’re used to unreasonable demands from powerful men. We’ll be fine. But I’m glad you were trying to look out for me.”

“I just… I’ve been thinking about Billy Molina and Vieques, and you and Pepper, and I’m tired, Donna. I’m tired of doing the wrong thing for what I’m no longer sure are the right reasons.”

“What are you saying?”

He looked at her, and then down at his son. “I think… I think after November, whatever happens… and I know your career is still flourishing, and I understand if you want to keep going, but… I think I’m done, Donna.”

“Oh, Josh,” she said, sitting on the arm of the chair, putting her arms around his neck and holding him tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see Josh trying to be a better person for Donna and his son, and struggling with the moral compromises more and more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the day of Hammer's special exhibition at Stark Expo, Josh, Donna & their son attend Huck & Molly's birthday party.

The day of Huck and Molly’s birthday celebration, there were kids running everywhere, and yes, there was even a bouncy house that Joshua Lyman was absolutely forbidden from entering. 

Toby, Josh, Sam and Charlie stood beside the folding tables set up with snacks and drinks, drinking beer and talking.

“Toby, tell Josh not to make any hasty decisions,” Sam was saying.

“It might occur to you that I’m the wrong guy to offer advice in this matter,” Toby replied. “It might also occur to you that speaking about this out loud, among associates of my ex-wife, a woman who, I will remind you, continues to serve in the House of Representatives, may not be conducive to maintaining the aura of strength and unity you should be projecting right now.”

Sam frowned. He hadn’t taken the news of Josh’s impending exit well, even if he understood that while his friend managed to keep his mind wholly focused on the job when he was in the office, it was clear that Josh’s heart was no longer one hundred percent in his work. He decided to change the subject.

“What time do you have to leave for the thing?”

Josh considered. “Train departs at 2:15. We have some time yet.”

Toby looked back and forth between the two of them. “You’re campaigning today?”

“Not really,” Josh said, “We’re heading back to the Stark Expo tonight. Hammer Industries says they have a demonstration that everyone needs to see.”

“And the President believes Justin Hammer why?” Toby asks, his disrespect for the weapons manufacturer evident.

“He doesn’t,” Josh says, “but it’s an election year and since Stark has pulled out of the industry, we need to at least be seen considering what happens in the next war.” He didn’t mention his concerns over Tony Stark’s health, or the disastrous birthday party that had been widely reported. 

“So Santos is humoring that schmuck for a photo op?”

“Well, not so much. General O’Donnell and a couple of the Joint Chiefs will be there - it is a military demonstration. _President_ Santos has asked me to go and observe from a policy perspective.”

Toby responds to the admonishment with a grunt. “And Donna and Leo?”

“Coming with,” Josh replies. “She said that she and the little cub can take a tour of the exhibits while I’m trying to figure out what Hammer’s angle is.”

Sam has a smirk on his face, “Y’know, I’m surprised you let her do anything to do with Tony Stark, after the primaries…”

“What do you mean?” Josh asked, confused.

“I mean, the way he flirted with her when she was raising money for Bob…” At that point Sam’s face took on an abashed expression, his eyes focusing past his friend.

Josh whipped his head around to see the pained expression and look of horror in Donna’s eyes. He felt himself start to yell, but seeing their son in her arms, he managed to put a lid on the rage seething inside him. 

He took several steps away, breathing deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He knew she had raised money for Russell, and as one of the biggest names in both munitions and tech, Stark was being courted by every campaign. It had been her job. Hell, he’d had then Congressman Santos make a direct appeal. He knew all this in his head, and he knew the surge of jealousy was irrational. She loved him, she’d shown that in a thousand different ways even before they were married. He hated this weakness in him, a leftover insecurity from the darkest period of their relationship.

“Josh?” she asked in a quiet voice. He glanced over, and saw she had left Leo with Andy. He silently cursed at himself that she thought he might make a scene in front of their son.

“Just need a sec,” he managed. “Sorry, having a moment of reflexive stupidity.”

“You’re handling it better than I thought,” she said, with a hint of a smile. “You know nothing happened. He hit on me and I shot him down. Funny enough, that’s why he gave a donation. It’s where I met…”

“Pepper, yeah,” he acknowledged. “I guess we should’ve sent Ronna.” He frowned and shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “God, I hate politics some times. No, we shouldn’t have sent Ronna. You should be able to solicit donations without being treated like a piece of meat.”

Donna gave him a knowing look. “And Leo never sent you to Sarah Wissinger to collect a check?”

Josh coughed uncomfortably. “Maybe we should get back to the party?”

“Maybe,” she said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She took his arm and returned to the gathering of their friends, taking little Leo back from Andy.

Zoey Bartlet-Young had joined her husband while Josh had been cooling off. “What’s with the nutty over Tony Stark?” she asked.

“Josh doesn’t want to talk about it,” said Donna, leaning against Josh’s chest.

Josh leaned forward against her, wrapping his arms around her and their son, nodding. “I really don’t.”

“I think it started when Josh was in Senator Hoynes office,” Sam said casually, “and Stark embarrassed the hell out of Hoynes on a military appropriations bill. He’d ripped apart a bunch of talking points that Josh had given the Senator, and then Hoynes threw Josh under the bus right on C-SPAN. And of course there’s the fact that Stark is a multibillionaire genius playboy who stole our thunder in Afghanistan and has made us look like chumps on more than one occasion. And he’s ten years younger and has better hair than Josh.”

“Sam!” Josh exclaimed, his expression pained.

“I’m just getting you back,” Sam grinned at him, “for that night when we tried to write jokes for the Correspondent’s Dinner.”

“Getting me back for what? As I recall, you shoved your own foot in your mouth explaining Donna’s flowers to Ainsley that night.”

Sam turned quiet, his face momentarily unreadable. “Well, you kinda teed it up for me there. I’m still a natural spokesman.”

“Okay,” Josh said, considering the response. “We should probably get back, see if the President has anything he needs done before we head to Union Station.”

“Taking the train, huh?” Toby asked, awkwardly shifting his weight back and forth.

“It’s easier on Leo. No popping of his little ears and such. It was a little rough when we were there last month.” Josh said with a shrug. “When are you headed back?”

“After the party,” answered Toby. “Andy and the twins are coming with me. I’m treating us all to the Yankees matinee tomorrow.”

“That’s great, man,” Josh said, “I mean, it’s not the Mets, but I suppose it isn’t the Orioles either.”

“We’re having dinner at my place.” Toby continued. “And Andy was wondering, I mean, we were both wondering…”

“Toby, what’s with you today? You’re freaking me out a little.”

“We’re worried about you,” Toby confessed. “Sam. Andy. Me. The job getting to you.”

“I’m fine,” Josh protested.

“Like hell you are,” snarled Toby. He glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot. “You’re talking about quitting after the election, and I don’t think that’s a terrible idea. I wasn’t there for Huck and Molly as much as I should have when they were Leo’s age. You don’t want to miss these years.”

Josh nodded. “I know. And that’s part of me wanting to get out. That and knowing little Leo’s watching me.” At Toby’s puzzled expression, he continued. “I know Donna always made me a better person. There were lines I’d happily have crossed when I worked for Hoynes that I wouldn’t come within a mile of once she hired herself that day in Nashua. But she also knew how the game was played. Now I just see this perfect child - my own son - looking at me from back across decades to come, trusting me, and I don’t know if can do what I need to do. I need to make things right by him.”

“That’s a bit precipitous, isn’t it? I agree you need time away from that building, but the sausage is still going to be made, whether you’re there or not.”

“Yeah,” Josh said. “I know. I just… I don’t know, man.”

“You’ve got six months, Josh. Time to figure things out.” Toby said. “But we’ve gone astray from what I was trying to say.”

“And that is?”

“Andy and I were wondering…”

Josh felt his blood pressure rise. “So you said. It isn’t like you to dissemble. What do you need?”

“We were wondering if you and Donna would like to leave Leo with us for the evening, have some time for yourselves.”

Josh found himself taken aback by the suggestion. “Um,” he began. He felt a reflexive possessiveness about his son, and recognized the twinge of fear at being separated. “Why?”

“I think Andy misses holding a baby. And it’s an opportunity for you two, and a rare one at that. Take it.”

“Toby, as you trying to set us up for a romantic rendezvous?”

“I will thank you to never again inflict that mental image upon me,” Toby said, frowning. “And you still have the presentation to attend. We’re just offering a chance to enjoy each other’s company for a little time.”

Josh frowned, and looked over at his wife, who was bouncing their child in her arms. Andy was hovering near her, talking animatedly, probably a variation of the offer Toby was extending. The couple locked gazes. She quirked the corner of her mouth into a slight questioning smile. He looked, his brow furrowed, and then shrugged his shoulders and smiled back. “Okay.”

“Okay?” asked Toby. “You don’t have to consult with Donna?”

“We just did.”

Toby looked at him, over at Donna and back at him. “You two are freakish that way.”

Josh gave him a tight grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorted than originally planned, but I kinda like seeing a moment of friends gathering together like old times, before everything blows up in the next chapter.


End file.
